Best Kansas City Chiefs Players Tournament, Round 2: Marty Era Region

We are halfway through Round 2 of the tournament to find out, voted by you fans, on who the best player in franchise history is.

On Friday, No. 1 RB Christian Okoye and No. 2 S Deron Cherry advanced and will face each other for a spot in the Final Four.

Today, we move on to the Marty Region.

No. 1 LB Derrick Thomas vs. No. 5 DE Neil Smith

Derrick Thomas

With the fourth pick in the 1989 NFL draft, the Kansas City Chiefs selected Derrick Thomas out of Alabama. Thomas was the first defensive player selected in the 1989 draft and proved why he won the honors he earned.

While spending his entire career with the Chiefs, Thomas collected a franchise-high 126.5 sacks. His most dominant season came in 1990, where he crushed opposing quarterbacks 20 times. Throughout the '90s, Thomas was known as the league’s most dangerous pass-rusher.

He was the league's Defensive Rookie of the Year and went on to be noticed, but was unstoppable.

Thomas holds the franchise record for forced fumbles in a season and career, fumbles recovered in a career, sacks in a single-season and safeties in a career. The most prestigious record held by Thomas is when he recorded an NFL-high seven sacks in one game.

His career was cut short during a car accident in 2000.

Thomas was voted to nine Pro Bowls and won six All-Pro honors. He has a spot in both the Chiefs and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He is also one of five Chiefs players to win the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award. His jersey, 58, is retired by the Chiefs.

Thomas passed CB Dale Carter in the first round.

Neil Smith

Despite leaving Kansas City for Denver, Neil Smith still accomplished a lot in nine years as a Chiefs defensive end.

Smith racked up 85.5 career sacks in Kansas City, placing him second among all defensive players in franchise history. With Thomas as his teammate, Smith helped Kansas City create a defense in which no quarterback wanted to go up against.

Smith eventually went on to earn 100 career sacks, in which only 28 players in NFL history have. Smith earned five Pro Bowl invitations and three All-Pro selections while playing for the Chiefs. He also earned his way to the Chiefs Hall of Fame.

Smith passed QB Joe Montana in the first round.

No. 2 G Will Shields vs. No. 3 RB Marcus Allen

Will Shields

Will Shields had one of the more prolific careers in franchise history and is very well known as the best guard to ever play the game while spending all 14 playing years in Kansas City.

Shields represented his last name very well—he shielded Montana, Bono, Grbac, Gannon and Trent Green. He also paved the way for Allen, Anders, Tony Richardson, Priest Holmes and Larry Johnson.

Shields started in 223 games and is the only player in franchise history to play in over 200 games. He earned 12 Pro Bowl invitations and nine All-Pro honors. He also won the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award in 2003.

Shields is more than likely to earn a spot in the Chiefs and the Pro Football Hall of Fame and have his jersey, 68, be retired by the Chiefs.

Marcus Allen’s career appeared to be over in Oakland, but Kansas City gave him a chance to resurrect his career. In the end, Allen made the right choice by coming to Kansas City.

Allen rushed for 3,698 yards and caught for 1,153 yards in his five seasons with the Chiefs. Allen came away with 47 total touchdowns while he tried to rebound in Kansas City.

As a Chief, Allen earned one Pro Bowl invitation and was named to one All-Pro selection. He earned the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award in 1993, in which he rushed for 763 yards and 12 touchdowns. Allen also had three touchdowns thrown to him that season, helping him win the award.

Despite spending 11 seasons with the Raiders and only five with the Chiefs, Allen decided to go into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a Chief, even though he won a Super Bowl with the Raiders.

Allen holds the record as the oldest player to score over 10 touchdowns in a season at 37.